


Asclepius

by ladyxdarcy



Series: From the Unwritten [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Neville Longbottom, Boys In Love, Falling In Love, Healer Draco Malfoy, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mean Hannah Abbott, Not Epilogue Compliant, Only for the story, Professor Neville Longbottom, She's really a nice girl, Slight Hannah Abbott bashing, Sorry Hannnah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 08:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16092251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyxdarcy/pseuds/ladyxdarcy
Summary: A “scene” from an Unwritten story. Draco, desperate to put the past behind him, has become a healer at St Mungo’s. Driven by his own past evils, he has been attempting to find a cure for the incurable dark magic inflicted upon some of its patients, primarily those suffering under the effects of the Cruciatus Curse. He hadn’t expected in being caught, nor could he ever have expected falling for the man who caught him; Neville Longbottom.





	Asclepius

**Author's Note:**

> So, this idea has been bugging me for a while, and since I got some writing time, I just had to get it out while motivation still flowed through me. Sadly it is now back to school work.

Draco watched Neville at the bar top as he attempted to wave the bartender down for a new round of drinks. They were out celebrating Draco’s latest test score in his muggle medical classes he was taking to supplement his training at St Mungo’s—Neville’s idea who seemed to make it a point of fact to celebrate Draco’s accomplishments since finding him again and realising just how alone the Malfoy scion actually was now and how much he was working to be better than his name—and Neville had proclaimed that the night’s many rounds were on him.

He was still amazed that Neville had befriended him after everything, especially after finding Draco leaning over his mother and waving his wand with a muttered spell on his lips, which in turn led to Draco blasted against a wall with Neville’s wand over _him_ instead. Eventually, however, Draco had been able to prove that he meant no harm and was working in secret to try to find at least a partial cure, which made Neville a little more open to talking to him. Which led to where they were now. And, more importantly, where Draco was now.

He sighed, glancing towards the door of the muggle pub. He half-expected Abbott to appear out of nowhere, despite her presence not being around the last few weeks, and drape herself over Neville while shooting daggers at Draco. It seemed that Neville wasn’t the only one that the War toughened up. Neville’s paramour actively disliked Draco, he knew, and she disapproved of his and Neville’s friendship. Honestly, he was preparing himself for Neville to end their association outside of the professional due to it, though it hadn’t happened yet. Perhaps it would be a stipulation when Neville proposed to Abbott, as he assumed the Gryffindor would.

“You’re looking melancholy,” Neville teased, sliding into his seat and passing Draco his pint. “Though getting the highest score in class would make you cheer up some.”

Draco snorted, turning back to his friend with a roll of his eyes. “Without Granger around to beat, it’s almost too easy.”

“Except you never beat Hermione,” Neville pointed out with a smirk.

“Oi,” Draco scowled, throwing a peanut from the bowl in the centre of the table at the other man. “You’re a bloody git. You’re supposed to be nice to me, it’s _my_ celebration,” he whinged.

Chuckling, Neville picked up the peanut where it’d hit him in the chest and rolled on the table to flick off to the side. “Then start acting like it, Malfoy.” As if on cue, one of the servers in the pub brought out two shots and set them on the table, causing Draco to shoot a horrified look at a grinning Neville. “Bottom’s up, Malfoy,” he winked.

“You’re trying to kill me,” Draco lamented, closing his eyes as the three previous pints reminded him of their presence in his belly. “Here lies Draco Malfoy, an innocent, dead before his time by the villainous Neville Longbottom.”

“Oh, quit being so melodramatic,” Neville scoffed, picking up his shot and holding it out in a salute. Draco reluctantly followed suit, and while Neville took his back smoothly, Draco grimaced for effect as he shot back his own. Granted, however, it _was_ smooth and tasted vaguely like honey.

“You’re going to show up pissed later and Hannah is going to blame me for it.” Like she blamed him for everything. To be fair, some things in the past were, in fact, his fault, but he’d kept his nose clean since the war and was doing everything he could be the best healer for any patient that entered St Mungo’s. At least…the ones that didn’t immediately request a different healer when they saw him.

Neville gave Draco a funny look. “Hannah?”

“You know,” Draco said with a roll of his eyes. “Pretty, blonde, thinks the sun shines out of your arse,” he scoffed.

“Why, Draco, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were describing yourself,” Neville teased with a roll of his eyes, and Draco felt himself flushing beyond his control.

The truth was that Draco could have been. Neville was…unlike anyone Draco knew. Besides their first disastrous meeting after the war when Neville thought Draco was further cursing his mother or whatever it was he thought, Neville had been one of the few solid things in Draco’s life. He supported him with his work, he asked after his health when he looked worn down from either healing or schoolwork, and most of all he’d stood up for Draco when he’d witnessed one of Draco’s coworkers treating him like dragon dung. After all, once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater…right?

Except Neville didn’t treat him like that. He encouraged Draco to be better, and his belief in him made Draco want to _be_ better, not just to prove that he wasn’t a dark wizard anymore but to make certain that Neville’s faith in him was not misplaced. Neville, who knew what it was like to be on the bottom of the food chain among wizards, never wanted another to feel like that, not even his former childhood bully and villain.

God, Draco loved him so much.

But Neville loved Abbott, and Draco would never do anything to jeopardise their friendship.

He cleared his throat, before fluttering his own eyes at the wizard seated across from him. “You think I’m _pretty_ ,” he said in an affected voice. “Why Nevvie, if only I knew, I’ll call the caterers at once. I hope you don’t mind getting married at St Mungo’s, but the candlelight there is just magnificent,” he gushed in further tease.

Neville groaned at the hated nickname, rubbing a hand over his face. “Better than Malfoy Manor I suppose. Groom or not, I doubt your father would allow me on the premises.”

Draco sniggered. “Does that make the bride? Are you going to carry me over the threshold, Nevvie?”

“Over my shoulder,” the wizard snorted into his pint. “Right where I can slap your arse if you misbehave. Like if you use that stupid name one more time.”

“Well, at least it’ll give me a perfect view of yours, dear husband,” Draco winked, wishing the joking didn’t cut him quite so deeply. Though matrimony was certainly too soon to contemplate, the thought of being able to call Neville his own was alluring and dangerous.

Neville shook his head, but a small smile curled at his lips at their bantering. They both thought back to their lives at Hogwarts, compared it to the present, and marvelled at how things had changed. He frowned, though, as confusion took back over his features. “But why would Hannah even be involved?”

Draco rolled his eyes this time. “Girlfriends usually are,” he drawled. “Or is she your fiancée now?”

“Draco…I broke up with Hannah.”

The quiet words froze Draco solid. Broke up? The truth in the words rang through Draco, not that he’d ever assumed Neville would lie about such a thing, and it took him a moment to process it before blurting out, “Why?”

Neville sighed, staring down at the pint in his hands. “Because I realised I didn’t love her. I thought I did, but…” He trailed off, glancing up at Draco. “I realised that that wasn’t what I wanted. I’ve lived my life trying to make my parents proud of me, doing what I thought would make them happy, instead of what made me happy. It’s why I became an Auror at first, before following my passion of herbology. Why I’ve been lying to myself this whole time. But…that’s not the only reason I broke it off with Hannah.”

“No?” Draco asked into the silence that followed that statement, not knowing what else to say as he processed all this. For all they’ve talked about their goals and dreams, Neville had never given off the aura that he was unhappy with his life or lying about something. He licked his lips, not knowing if he wanted to know the answer. “Then why did you?”

“Because I heard what she said to you, Draco.”

Confusion played across Draco’s face, quickly followed by horror. The last time the three of them had hung out, Draco feeling like the unwanted third wheel, Abbott had cornered him on his way back from the loo. He’d been surprised by her sudden appearance, but most of all he’d been unprepared for her savage words.

_“He’ll never love you, you know,” she’d said with a small sneer. “You’ll always be nothing but a Malfoy, a Death Eater. It’s pathetic mooning after someone who will never want you. You’re so obvious. Neville is so much better than you could ever be, and he’s going to realise that some day soon and he’s going to drop you. So enjoy it while you can, Malfoy. He’s **mine**. He could never want an evil little ferret like you. Mark my words. One day you’re going to get what you deserve, Death Eater. One day you’re going to pay for the lives you stole.”_

Oh god. Oh Merlin. How much had Neville heard? What was he even still doing here? Draco convulsively swallowed as the recent shot tried making a reappearance, and he stumbled up out of his seat to escape.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, face burning red in humiliation. He knew. Neville knew how Draco felt. Oh god, he was never going to live this down. Neville’s friends were no doubt laying in wait to jump out and ridicule him. Oh Merlin, he was an idiot. He had to get out of here. “I’m sorry!”

“Draco!” Neville called out, and his hand was around Draco’s wrist without Draco even being away that the wizard had gotten up after him. He flinched away when Neville’s raised hand came closer, causing the man to pause. “Draco…” Neville said more quietly, heartbreakingly. “Neville, I would never hurt you. Not like that.”

Draco swallowed, feeling shame as his eyes burned. He was far too old to be crying like this. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Please. I never…I wouldn’t ever…”

“I know,” Neville murmured, a small though sad smile on his lips. “Will you come back and listen to me? We’ve already made a bit of a scene here,” he added with a roll of his eyes.

Knowing he had no other choice, Draco reluctantly nodded and let Neville lead him back to the table. He grabbed his still mostly full beer glass when he sat down, raising it and swallowing half of it down in one go. Perhaps, if he were lucky, he’d drink enough to block this whole conversation from his memory.

Neville sighed, sitting across from Draco again, folding his hands in view on the table. “I broke up with Hannah because what she said…it was awful. You’re _not_ evil, Draco, and you never killed anyone. You were as much a victim as the rest of us were, and look at you now. You’re doing everything you can to help people, even if people treat you terribly for it. You’re attending muggle school, for Merlin’s sake. You’re not the same person you used to be Draco. You’re grown, changed. You’re a good person now, Draco.”

Shaking his head, Draco clenched his fingers tighter around his beer glass. “You should hate me. My aunt is the one that did that to your parents. I was a git to you in school, I did terrible things.”

“And you’re sorry for them. You’re not your aunt, Draco. What she did doesn’t fall on to you. You’re better than she could have ever been. You’re _good_ , Draco. You’re so good, and you can’t even see it.”

“But—”

“No, Draco,” Neville interrupted, and he reached out across the table to lay his hand on Draco’s arm, causing Draco to jump. “Do you know why else I broke up with Hannah?”

Draco hesitated, caught and lost and not knowing what else to do except jerkily shake his head. “Why?” he rasped.

“Because I was lying to myself,” Neville said. “I was looking for the perfect woman to make the perfect wife so I could have a perfect family, like my parents, to make my parents proud. But I don’t want that life. I don’t want a perfect wife. I don’t want a wife in general. I…I’m gay, Draco,” he said, looking straight into Draco’s widening eyes, and he gave him a small smile. “I’m gay, and I think I might be falling in love with you.”

Draco sat, frozen, uncomprehending, disbelieving that this was his life. He thought perhaps he could use another drink, or perhaps he had had too many and he’d begun hallucinating now. All he knew was that he could not have heard what he’d thought he’d just heard. After several moments, moments that Neville was patiently waiting for Draco to sort things out, Draco shook his head and cleared his throat. “Why?” he whispered. “If you felt that way, then why didn’t you say anything?” It was a cruel joke, it had to be.

Neville simply sighed, however, using his free hand to run through his hair for a moment before reaching out to take hold of Draco’s hand. “Because I wanted to make sure. I didn’t want to give you false hope that I felt something that I wasn’t sure about. I couldn’t stand to hear Hannah say those things about you, however, because they were certainly untrue. And…and it made me give myself a good long look, and I realised I never felt towards a girl growing up the way I do about you now. I look forward to seeing you, to hearing about your day, to making you smile. To making you laugh.”

He looked down at their joined hands then, Draco’s gaze following suit. “I think about this, about holding your hand,” Neville murmured. “I think about being able to do I freely, whenever I want. I think about sitting across from you and knowing…that that’s where we belong. Together. And lately…lately I’ve been thinking about your lips,” he said quietly, voice low in a way that warmed Draco’s belly, and he had to resist squirming when Neville’s gaze lifted to look at his lips in question. “I think about how they might feel. How they might…taste.”

Draco, heart pounding viciously in his chest, tightened his fingers around Neville’s. He licked his lips, shivering at the darkened look in Neville’s eyes, and swallowed. “Well then,” he murmured, sounding breathless. “Why don’t you find out?”

Neville’s lips slowly curled into a smile unlike Draco had ever seen on him before, and he felt dizzy with anticipation. “You know what,” Neville whispered. “I think I just might.”

As it turned out, Draco didn’t need that other drink after all; he was already drunk enough on new possibilities.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Find my Tumblr at [ladyxdarcy.tumblr.com ](http://ladyxdarcy.tumblr.com)


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